


AfterHero

by munchi



Category: Underhero (Video Game)
Genre: A "Majora's Mask Like" take on a sequel story to Underhero, A bit of angst..., Action, Adventure, Canon Continuation, Canonical Nonbinary Character, Everyone Including narrator calls Masked Kid Masky, Gen, If you don't like big sad sometimes sorry, Post-Canon, Selectively Mute Masked Kid (Underhero), The Hero's name is Cashew just a little headcanon for a name, The angst levels should even out :), character tags will be added as they appear, sorry :(
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:28:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27434323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/munchi/pseuds/munchi
Summary: REALLY BIG SPOILERS FOR UNDERHERO AHEAD....I MEAN IT....After the defeat of the evil Puzzleman... Our hero, The Masked Child, 745, or just Masky, and their trusty friend the "Magical" Sword hilt Elizabeth IV, or Elizabeth Version 1.4 found themselves otherwise trapped in the Void Dimension that the Puzzleman once called home... But with his defeat and death, The heroes still hold on to the hope that they will soon find a way back to their world, However it soon would seem as though fate has another plan for the bunch... as the adventure of the Underling turned UnderHero Continues!
Comments: 5
Kudos: 17





	1. In the White Void

**EXCEPTIONAL ERROR OCCURRED AT PUZZLEMAN.EXE**

_ATTEMPTING DATA RETRIEVAL…_

**DATA RETRIEVAL FAILURE…**

_ATTEMPTING RECONSTRUCTION…_

**FATAL ERROR! PROGRAM C:\MONSTER\PUZZLEMAN.EXE**  
**UNHANDLED EXCEPTION INSTRUCTION AT 0x6F088344E REFERENCED MEMORY AT**  
**0x000000008. MEMORY COULD NOT BE READ.**

_ATTEMPTING REBOOT…_

**REBOOT SUCCESSFUL.**

Peace… an aura of peace and prosperity shielded this mostly normal shrub of forestry  
from the chaos of civilization.

The birds sang without a care in the world.

Ants went about their work for their colonies.  
Forest critters frolicked, ate, and played wherever their heart desired.

The peaceful Peanut forest was an area where one could truly get lost in its serenity.

Young Princess Cereza is such one person who has surrounded herself with such beauty.

The Young Heir sat at the end of a small bay, an area of tranquility untouched by the  
usually bustle of her home, the Walnut Kingdom.

And so, the young princess would enjoy some peace away from the regal life, enjoying a  
nice picnic, which was until…

“ _Sigh…_ ” Cereza scoffed.

“It’s been way too long since anything’s happened around here, no bad guys, no quests, not  
even a chicken to coral!” the Princess complained as she lazed about the side of  
the small lake.

As she was plotting away for something to stave off her plain boredom, a friendly  
squirrel came into her view.

Perking up quickly, she flipped back around to face the friendly woodland creature.

“I’m sure your life is great, huh little guy…”

“ _Oh yes, I’ve got the freedom to adventure and explore all day!_ ” Cereza imitated to  
herself.

After chuckling to herself about her silliness she spotted something catching her  
eye just beyond the little woodland creature.

As the Squirrel moved on to another place to scavenge it left Cereza with a focus on the  
strange glow just beyond the bush…

Not just a glow… a small buzzing sound also broke the silence of the “Peaceful” forest.

Always ready for more adventure, Cereza leaped at the opportunity for something  
interesting to do.

‘ _Maybe it’s one of those old monsters that dad always warning me about!_ ’ Cereza  
Squealed happily to herself as she moved through the bush towards the shimmering  
sensation

“Ah, it’s probably just some trinket or something,” Cereza reassured herself  
as nothing interesting ever happens in the Walnut kingdom, as she clears the last  
few branches to find the source of the strange light source and ear-splitting buzz.

As Cereza approached the odd collection of lights and sounds, a strange feeling took over  
her.

She felt her breath turn cold and she felt her blood running just as chilly as her whole  
body became stiff with, what was it, _Fear_?

“ **No** , I couldn’t be afraid, nothing scares this princess!” Cereza calmed as she neared the  
collection of warping, changing, and moving voxels.

“So, are you a monster or…” She questioned as she stared and the strange mass of  
cubes.

Cereza did not have much time to question it for as soon as she had wandered closer, the  
mass of strange cuboids started to aggressively gyrate and expand.

“What’s happening, what are you!” Cereza shouted as she tried to move her body away  
from the strange amalgamation.

Moving her body seemed to be quite the challenge as the influence of the object seemed  
to be dragging her towards it.

The mass then started to pulse and shift as it fired off electric shocks that started to  
break open the ground!

Cereza barely jumped out of the way of one of the blasts and found herself in a nearby  
bush, making sure to keep her dress tidy.

The Mass continued to shuffle until finally, the collection of voxels burst into a glorious  
explosion of Cuboids.

Cereza rose out of her cover to realize that the beloved forest that had  
once been a place of pure serenity now had been blown asunder with the resulting crater  
being mighty!

She was lucky not to be hurt too bad, regardless of the torn apparel and the scratches on  
her arms.

After climbing out of her cover to appraise just how bad the damage was to Peanut Forest,  
she noticed something strange had appeared at the bottom of the crater…

Clearing her messy coal-like hair and peering closely, she quickly came to the realization  
that someone or something was inside of the crater!

Disregarding her safety, which she often does to the detriment of her father, she  
slid down the crater and slowly walked along the soot coated ground to approach the  
being that was in the middle.

It was like nothing Cereza had seen ever before!

It was not tall enough to be a regular human adult, more of a child really, it had strange  
purple apparel that seemed alien to her, and to wrap it all up, and eerie looking broken up  
mask with one spiked horn adorning the top.

“Poor little guy… seems to have had a rough time…” She commented.

As Cereza was examining the strange being she almost forgot to notice that…

“ ** _They’re Breathing?!?_** ” She shouted as she quickly tried to scoop up the masked being and  
lug their body out of the massive crater that the voxels had left.

“The Lake… maybe water will bring this guy back!” Cereza thought quickly as she carried  
the broken body of the masked figure.

At the pool of water, Cereza laid the masked being on her lap as she scooped a handful of  
water in her hands and splashed it about the being’s face… or what she thought was it’s  
face…

“This mask is really getting in the way, uh, you must be suffocating wearing it!” She  
scoffed while looking into the strange masked beings face.

She slowly reached below the creature’s chin to find the border of the mask and try to  
pry it off…

However, just as The Princess touched the unmasked face of the creature it quickly  
stirred awake!

The being then threw its head up… looking directly up into Cereza’s ebony-colored eyes…

Cereza responded in kind by staring deep into the masked beings’ shadowy holes in their  
Mask.

Both locked into a ceaseless staring contest as the two stared at one another’s eyes  
amazed at what they were seeing.

Sobering up quickly, however, the masked being threw itself off Cereza’s lap in utter  
shock!

Cereza slowly rose to her legs and tried to calm the “creature” down.

“There, there, little guy? Girl? Person? Who might you be, are you ok?” Cereza tried to  
calm the creature as the masked being stared at her as if her head were spinning.

“ **!!!!** ” The masked creature reacted as they rose to their feet and began to panic!

“Wha- what are you saying?” Cereza shouted as the Masked creature  
jumped about in front of Cereza.

The strangeness continued as the masked creature quickly leaned into Cereza’s chest for  
a large hug!

Cereza, in turn, responded as anyone would if a strange interdimensional creature created  
from voxels started trying to hug you would, with a big **SLAP!**

The masked creature stumbled back from the slap and fell backward with a loud _THUD_

After a bit of reeling from the pain of The Princess’s strike the masked creature slowly  
turned their head back to Cereza.

Carefully fixing their mask the masked being looked Cereza up and down and tilted their  
head.

Cereza quickly thought on her feet for why she struck the being, “I- I- mean you  
don’t just hug someone so unexpectedly w-when you don’t even know their name yet…  
speaking of which, I felt as though we got off on the wrong foot…” Cereza continued as  
she once again approached the masked being.

Sticking a firm hand forward towards the still grounded masked creature she looked at  
them reassuringly and said, “My name is Princess Cereza, Heir to the Walnut Kingdom!  
What might your name be Masked Being?”

The masked creature looked completely baffled at Cereza’s advancement, as they slowly  
reached their gloved hand out to touch Cereza’s.

After helping the creature to its feet Cereza started to wonder aloud, “What kind of  
being are you? Do you know where you live? Are you lost!?” Cereza  
babbled as the masked creature looked about blankly at the large expanse of the forest.

It had seemed like forever ago that the two heroes who defeated the mighty  
Mr. Stitches the sole reason for Evil in the world, or so it would seem, as when the time  
came to finally end his madness the true root of it all had finally revealed itself, The  
Overseer, Puzzleman…

Masky, a Masked Kid, a clone with an identification number of 745, and just a lowly minion  
in Mr. Stitches’ ever-expanding army.

Never to amount to anything but perhaps a “Mini-Boss”, Masky went about their day as any  
other minion would, which was until that fateful day when their fate changed forever,  
after a split-second decision that led to the death of the hero, a decision that still  
shakes them to their very core, they shed their title of Underling and donned the mantle  
of a Hero as the Underhero…

But it was not them alone who resisted against the tyrannical Mr. Stitches and “Saved” the  
world.

There was also Elizabeth IV, The Magical Sword hilt, Elizabeth Version 1.4,  
the sword hilt that chooses its wielder by “fate” to destroy the evil lord time and time  
again, and to save the world, but this was just a ruse created by Mr. Stitches’ right-hand  
man, the nefarious Dr. T. Bur.

With all of Elizabeth’s powers and abilities being just to T. Bur’s design, him, and his boss,  
could watch over, plan, and carry on the so-called hero-cycle, a thing that, according to  
Mr. Stitches (told to him by his manipulator Puzzleman) would destroy the world if the  
cycle didn’t continue as it was.

And so, it was, until the day that the Underhero, Masky, Masked Child designation 745,  
and just one out of a million other soldiers in the Stitched army brought their boss back  
from the brink of total insanity and saved their world from the evil Ends Man the real  
Villain pulling the strings behind everything.

As they both stood together with their jointed might, cheered on by those who truly  
believed it in them, Puzzleman fell and was destroyed, and their world and everyone in it  
was saved from universal erasure, as foretold by the Puzzleman.

It was to be their happiest moment together; it should have been a time for celebration  
and relaxation after their big adventure, but it was not to be.

As the dimension that they had found themselves in had no straightforward way to return,  
the only way to move, the duo thought, was forward.

And with one last, “Good-bye!” from their friends the Underhero, and Elizabeth  
continued to move forward through the vastness of the void that now consumed them.

It seemed to them that this place was to be their eternal purgatory, a seemingly  
never endless labyrinth with no exit, a maze with no prize.

Much time has passed since then, though it didn’t show, as they looked the same as  
the day they first arrived, baring the few mental breaks and hopeless nights, or what  
could be called night in the vast whiteness of the void.

Their “freedom”, however, would eventually arrive on one of the many “nights” that found  
the two resting and staring up into the ceaseless expanse of the void.

“Man… This view sure has gotten pretty borin’ eh Masky” Ellie commented as they both lay  
parallel on the equally white ground.

“How… long has it been… sure seemed like forever since we’ve even seen a voxel or any  
shapes at all really!” Ellie continued to laugh to herself, with her voice reaching the ears of  
no one and echoing out into the hollow expanse.

“I don’t wanna be a jinx, but I feel we’re on to somethin’ big!” Ellie continued but as her  
voice continued to fall on deaf ears, she perked up to look towards the Underhero, Masked  
Kid Number 745.

“Hey, Masky, you… alright, you’ve been real quiet these last few days, we can’t have you  
having another episode, haha!” Ellie laughed to herself as she approached the still  
grounded Masky.

_Sniff Sniff_

“Ah jeez…” Ellie recoiled as she saw the tears flowing down from Masky’s mask.

“Come on, kid we gotta hold together,” Ellie tried to nudge and reconvene with her friend  
before Masky interrupted with a quiet whimper, “ _mm… Mr. Stitches… Cereza… Bella…_ ”

Ellie had heard several breakdowns from Masky before but this one must have been the  
Most melancholic one yet, with her friend drowned in their sorrow on the ground  
repeating the names of the friends they might never see again.

Masky quietly sat up to face the equally as sorrow-filled Ellie.

“Look Kid, I feel just as devastated as you, Heck if it weren’t for me, you’d probably  
be sippin’ down Mr. Stitches coffee right now, hehe…” Elizabeth joked, trying the lighten  
the mood a bit, but by the still pitiful face on her friend, it was obvious that it had little  
effect.

“Anyway… we gotta carry on because you know what Mr. Stitches would say if he saw  
you like this right?” Ellie said trying to rally her broken friend.

“???” Masky reacted in their usual mute reaction of turning their head.

“That’s right, he would say ‘ **HOW DARE YOU GIVE UP ON ME SOLDIER, YOU KNOW IM**  
**WORKING JUST AS HARD FOR YOU SO DON’T GIVE UP HAHAHA!** ’ and we don’t want to  
let your boss down right?” Ellie continued as she mimicked Mr. Stitches’ usual loud tone of  
voice as Masky rose to their feet and cleaned their tear-soaked mask.

“It may look hopeless, in the face of whatever this void is, but even in our desperation we  
still have each other, and nothing can take that away from us.” Ellie confidently expressed.

Masky seems to have been uplifted by the strong temperament of their hilt friend, as  
they eventually started to return to their normal self.

As the Masked Kid raised their head to the white nothingness of the void, they  
thought of everything, the friends, the places, the danger, and even their boss… not  
something they ever thought they would be thinking back on again with a sense of  
remembrance, and even a bit of melancholy.

Elizabeth seemed to notice this turn from her companion as she resumed her approach the  
nearly 4 times her size Masked Kid.

Coming closer to her stalwart friend Elizabeth continued to comfort the Hero, “There  
have been moments when I would just want to break down and cry, to let it all wash over  
me as it all crumbles down… But, in this place, where nothing enters and nothing leaves,  
where hope comes to die, _all we have is each other_ …

Masky shook at the uncharacteristically somber tone Ellie had… but as they continued to  
realize what she had said to them, so long ago, about how she forced the end of so many of  
their old colleagues without as much as an objection, and her eventual remorse it, made  
Masky slowly tread their gaze towards the magical hilt the one that had been through it  
all.

Both friends gazed into each other’s eyes when the depression of staring into the void  
had overwhelmed them.

Both sat there for a time staring as the deafening stillness of the void cast a blanket of  
existential dread over everything, and with no more words to say both friends leaned into  
one another with a warm embrace trying to choke down the inevitable tears…

The hug was long and warm, the two locked together as if it were their last meeting…

Masky’s arms wrapped fully around the small hilt, and Elizabeth welcomed their embraced,  
as she sat in the arms of her faithful friend the hilt slowly began to smile...

She wished it could last forever… It was so… _Cold…_

“Are you okay! Are you, crying!?” Cereza said.

Snapped back to reality Masky shook as they looked down at their gloved hands, then  
raising said hands to touch the mask that had donned their face for their entire life…  
Damp… a river of salty tears had begun to trail down the mask and fall to the grassy  
forest floor below.

As they continued to feel around their face, they noticed a large, very noticeable crack  
had formed at the circumference of the mask and it had stretched down the front of the  
mask, like a spider with jagged edges for legs.

Cereza noticed the masked figure touching their face and kindly bent down to aid them,  
“Hey, are… you alright, do you need some water, or somethin’… there’s a lake right over  
there,” she said as she brought attention to the body of water that extended behind the  
duo.

Masky nodded their head cautiously and slowly stumbled towards the miniature dock at  
the bay of the lake.

After staggering to the edge of the water, they collapsed to the ground and stared into  
the reflection that now showed the Masked Kids visage.

Masky’s stomach turned as they saw what had become of themselves, the cracks were worse  
then they had felt, crawling up their face it had made the once pristine mask  
unrecognizable, to make matters even worse one of their horns was also missing.

Cereza slowly crept up to the panicking masked being and spoke, “I noticed that your  
mask was all banged up, and your clothes… not looking too good either…”

Masky sprung up at the response and looked down at their old clothes, it was a mess.

A torn patch here, a loose string there, and worst of all, their hood was unusable!

“ **!!!** ” Masky jumped around as they continued to examine their body for injuries.

Looking around their clothes for more areas of damage, the Masked Kid noticed something  
that made their heart sink like a stone…

The pocket, the one where they kept… her… it was ripped to shreds, with no Elizabeth in  
sight.

Masky’s expression practically melted at the revelation.

“What… did you lose something… are…” Cereza stuttered in confusion as Masky’s one again  
slumped down to the floor in hopelessness

Everything the two had been together… all the battles, the adventures, the void, and she  
was just gone.

The promise too, the one made in the void… that no matter how terrible things could get,  
at least they had each other, and now that promise was nothing more than a passing  
memory.

Without her, Masky felt an aura of loneliness and dread set in… trapped once again, alone  
just like their time in the Stitched Army before she arrived.

Masky could already feel sorrow fill their lungs and it was as if the world was  
physically closing around them…

Cereza acted fast, as it was clear that this wasn’t going to be a passing breakdown.

With tears already forming around the beings mask she picked up her new acquaintance,  
and led them away from the dock.

“You need some air…” Cereza said as she sat them down on a nearby stump.

Masky didn’t even attempt to resist, let alone hear what ‘Cereza’ was saying.

As they just sat there staring, totally defeated…

A minute later, Cereza had brought the masked being some water out of a bottle she  
kept with the picnic equipment that she had brought.

“You probably need this…” Cereza said somberly as she extended out her arm to give the  
bottle to the Masked Kid.

She kept it there for a while, waiting for a response, or simply any action out of the  
devastated being.

After what seemed like an eternity, and with her arm about to give out, the Masked being  
grabbed the little bottle from her hands.

With a gusto only comparable to the driest of plants, the Kid gulped down the water with  
haste.

The masked being then extended their hand out to return the now empty bottle.

“I just want to help; do you know anyone here kid, is there anyone I can take you too?”  
Cereza asked as she returned the bottle to a picnic basket.

If only… Masky wasn’t sure if they were the only one in this place who knew of their  
existence, and with the… disappearance of Ellie, where they truly alone.

Suddenly, something called out to them… whether it be _Fate_ or their urge to explore  
the unknown, Masky was suddenly drawn to enter a small path in the forest.

Slowly rising from the stump seat, the Masked Kid slowly headed towards the center of  
the forest.

“HEY, WHERE ARE YOU GOING!” Cereza called out as she turned around from packing up  
her laid out equipment.

Masky barely heard her objections as they wiped their still damp Mask, full of cracks and sorrow, and continued to run.

Slowing down eventually and coming to a complete stop Cereza returned to the crater,  
where she had first found this strange being that was now giving her the slip!

“Did they just up and leave… hmm, what a strange, oh?” Cereza questioned to herself as  
She noticed that she knocked her foot up against something.

“ _no…_ ” Cereza heard a small voice cracked up with sorrow below her.

“ _i.., i can’t, not… again… i can’t…_ ” The voice continued as Cereza moved her gaze down to her  
feet to see…

A curled-up ball? A curled-up ball of the Masked Being!?

“Wh- what happened!?” Cereza asked as she stared with concern down at the Masked Kid.

As she got a closer look, she noticed that the Kid was clutching something tightly…

**It was… a sword?**

‘ _More like a sword hilt, where’s the blade?_ ’ Cereza thought to herself as she stared at the  
pool of misery that now was this poor kid.

The sword hilt was very angular in design, and a teal-ish color made up most of its surface  
with three strange red-ish engravings on the “Face” of the ancient-looking hilt…

It would seem as though the sword was in a poor state with various technological bits and  
pieces spilling from the hilt’s chassis.

Cereza sighed as she slowly moved down to comfort the Kid…

She looked to the Being with nothing but the greatest sense of pity, as they continue to  
cry, if only there was some way to help this poor Kid.

Suddenly, images of the strange tech came flashing in her memory, had she seen these  
symbols before… **YES OF COURSE!**

Cereza brighten up quickly as she sat up the still sobbing Kid saying, “Alright, kid,  
I might not know much about your sword problem, but I know someone who might!”

Masky slowly came up from their emotional pit… a bit of hope had shown itself to  
them, it felt strange after so long.

Cereza could see the Kid perk up a bit, seeing the happiness on their face after so much  
suffering warmed her heart, but it was time to keep her promise!

"There’s a buddy I got, real talented engineer, he can fix up that strange artifact  
you got, then we can take the hilt to a blacksmith or somethin’ and fix it up to your liking.”  
Cereza continued, grabbing the Masked Kid’s hand as she led them back to the lake.

Masky stared at Cereza completely puzzled, wondering why even though this  
Cereza didn’t know them in the slightest she would go through so much trouble just to  
make them happy.

It made the Kid smile a bit as they were dragged along behind the perky and hopeful  
Princess.

Cereza led them back to her Picnic site that had now been packed up into a rather large backpack.

Quickly skimming through the pack, the Princess returned to the Masked Kid with a  
small satchel.

“Here for your sword, don’t want you losing an important piece!” Cereza said as Masky  
grabbed the satchel and somberly filled the sack with the parts of their broken friend…

Holding it close to their chest Masky turned back to Cereza with a grateful smile.

“Heh… you look happy, now we just need to take the road over to Sprout Town, a large  
village near Walnut Castle itself!” Cereza said pridefully.

“???” Masky turned their broken mask in a puzzled manner… what, Walnut Castle?

“Man, you really must not get out much…” Cereza continued to chuckle to herself before  
suddenly stopping as she was grabbing her large backpack.

“Wait,” she stumbled as she moved closer to Masky, “You’re a monster, right?” Cereza  
questioned, pointing her index finger directly at the Masked Kid.

Masky looked both directions before returning their gaze at Cereza and pointing their  
index finger at themselves, “????” they stared as Cereza scoffed and turned around.

“Well I don’t know what you are, but the people at Sprout Town might not like their  
princess hanging out with a creepy mask guy, Monster or not!” Cereza exclaimed as  
she scavenged through the oversized back.

Masky took a bit of offense by her harsh words but kept it to themselves as they  
continued to watch Cereza move about and dig through her overabundance of supplies.

“Oh, why must my Father make me take such junk when I travel… Ah, here we go!” Cereza  
said to herself as she finally turned around to unveil…

A large floral Sunhat, along with a matching floral cloak!

“!!!!” Masky staggered backward with their hands on their head.

“Oh, come on, it’s not that bad, it will let us get through anywhere in the Walnut Kingdom  
without suspicion, and it would cover those tattered looking clothes,” Cereza explained to a  
shocked Masky, “Also it would make you look less evil…” Cereza muttered to herself.

Masky stared at the garb, then back at the Princess, with her continuing to raise the  
clothing forward towards them with a slight raise of her eyebrow.

“…” Masky silently stared before they, begrudgingly, swiped the garb from the Princess  
and dawned the floral apparel!

Standing a bit sheepishly, the short Masked Kid stood as tall as they could while the  
sunhat covered most of their eyesight, with one horn sticking out the front, while the pastel  
flowery cloak with its mix of greens and blues covered the normal uniform of the Stitched  
Army, while being a bit too big around their ankles.

“See doesn’t that look nice…” Cereza chuckled.

Masky slowly and silently walked with Cereza as she finished packing her large backpack  
and with that, the duo began to make their way out of the forest.

While on their walk towards Sprout Town, despite Cereza’s constant questions about  
where they were from, how they got here, and are you a boy or a girl Masky ignored them  
as they were lost in their thoughts about Elizabeth…

“So… uh I guess I’ll just call you Kid?” Cereza continued to ask the duo neared a small cave  
entrance.

“…” This comment made Masky think back to when Elizabeth first called them by that  
nickname and what she said about Fate.

The thoughts also made the Masked Kid clutch the satchel with fervor like nothing the kid has ever felt before, they determined to make it home one day, with Elizabeth too!

Back home to their dimension, to the Real Cereza, Back to their apartment, back to all  
their friends… and yes even back to Mr. Stitches…

Masky let these thoughts of hope wash over them as the two made their way inside the  
small dimly lit cavern with a wooden sign pointing them inside with the words,

“Sprout Town.”


	2. Nowhere Near Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last Time on Afterhero: Masked Kid 745, or MASKY the very one that defeated Puzzleman Awoke in a strange but familiar land after slowly coming to terms that they might be lost forever with their MAGICAL HILT, Elizabeth the Fourth, in the PUZZLE DIMENSION. Awaking to see the face of Cereza, a friend and princess of the CHESTNUT KINGDOM, not only fail to recognize them but also say they are from the WALLNUT KINGDOM, The child begins to have a breakdown, but not before remembering their friend that was with them for so long, ELIZABETH THE FOURTH was still missing, after awhile they eventually come across the scattered remnants of their friend and have yet another breakdown.
> 
> Taking pity on the monster, the princess decides to roll up her sleeves and help the poor masked kid fix their friend with the help of her own friends...
> 
> Clothing them in a sun hat and poncho, the two make their way to the nearby town of,
> 
> SPROUT TOWN THIS TIME ON AFTERHERO...

The cave the duo had found themselves in was very quaint, the atmosphere felt damp

yet fresh.

There was a scarce glow of two matching torches adorning the opposite sides of the rock

walls.

Cereza sauntered like it was just any old commute as if this was a path that she had taken

ten thousand times before, Masky however, froze up, feeling a strange sense of nostalgia,

remembering their first adventure, it also started in a cave… ordered by Mr. Stitches to…

“Hey kid, the path’s this way, we gotta move, sundown will be here soon!” Cereza

forewarned the Masked Kid, as they, for seemingly little reason, stood at an empty corner

of the cave.

As rationality returned to the Masked Kid, they shook off their sense of strange

bewilderment and quickly rejoined the princess’s side.

A radiant light pierced the dull atmosphere of the cave as the duo kept moving closer to

the exit, the same light enticed them to continue to move ever forward.

Stepping outside the pair both took a minute to admire the immaculate scenery that now

surrounded them.

Masky peered down the expansive gully that encompassed the surrounding area and

spotted a sight that they had never seen before,

_A city!_

A real city with humans, walking in complete disorder, hustling from one thing to the

next, buying food, building houses, and all the while the town guards continue their patrols.

Reflecting on their adventures in the past, made Masked Kid realize that they had

never seen a big city such as this before, in fact, they had never even seen more than two 

humans before.

“We better get going, it’s gonna take us a bit ‘til we get your hilt all patched up.” Cereza

said, patting Masky on the back before she started down the path towards the entrance

of the city.

Masky quickly gave chase after Cereza, continuing to have more sobering thoughts about

what a real human city would be like once on the inside…

Or what it would be like to live in one!

Cereza abruptly stopped in her tracks, causing the fantasizing Masked Kid to knock into her!

Staring out towards the walls of sprout town, she firmly took Masky’s hand, and lead them

to a nearby thicket, “Hold on, kiddo… Walnut Guards… it’s best we try to avoid those guys,

if we don’t want to get a rise out of my father…”

_“???”_ Masky turned their head and tried to recall anything about Cereza’s father

wouldn’t he be the king, their Cereza barely mentioned anything about him in their world…

Looking out towards the walls, Masky could just about see two humans in some sort of

uniform, alternating their marches around the gates while carrying strange looking spear

like weaponry at their sides.

That was until a silly-looking human in a strange hat started berating the two causing all

three to run inside of the town.

“Oh, they’re gone now let’s move!” Cereza whispered prompting the duo to creep towards

the town’s large wooden gates.

Arriving at the great gated entrance of Sprout Town, Masky leaned their head as far back

as their neck would let them to look at the towering sign.

“Sprout Town, Your Entrance to the Walnut Kingdom!” the sign read…

“The faster we can get to ‘Shews place, the faster we can get out of here kid, let’s get a

move on!” Cereza ordered continuing to drag the Masked kid by their tiny, gloved hand.

Masky held on to their sun hat the best they could as Cereza guided them throughout

the entrance area and towards the town center with the precision of a studied tour guide!

Not wanting to miss all the experiences of the first actual city they’ve ever seen, the

curious Masked Kid tried to sneak glances at the architecture, at the shops, and at

various people before pulling the Sunhat over their face to not blow their cover.

Cereza ducked out of the large town center and weaved into several back alleys and

escaped into a brush, all in an attempt to avoid anyone who could potentially recognize

her, all the while still leading on the Masked Kid.

Eventually, after clearing away the last of the shrubs, the duo came face to face with

their destination…

“The Sprout Town Inn.” Cereza whispered to Masky.

“I don’t see many people around if we make a run for it ‘Shews place his workshop is just

upstairs-” Cereza explained to the monster before her instructions were cut short by…  
  
  
“Well… well… well, look who we have here,” said a rather goofy voice.

“…Crap… Berri…” Cereza said under her breath as she rose upwards to meet a party of

particular looking humans.

“Bwahaha! we certainly weren’t expecting royalty in our midst’s today,” the cad

sarcastically scoffed, “Let’s give a respectful welcome to our sovereign boys…” The human

mocked as he arose from his chair and feigned a respectful bow with his gang by his side.

Masky was befuddled at the sight of these… rather lame looking friends that this

Cereza seems to have…

Cereza, quickly getting more agitated, launched herself at the gang, “Listen here you

knuckleheads… it has been a very stressful day for me, and I don’t need you pulling another

one of your _‘classic pranks’,_ which usually tends to get my father involved!” she exploded

causing the gang to recoil back as she continuously reprimanded them.

“Ooooo… must be regal business eh…,” The rowdy ruffian named Berri smirked, crossing

his arms as he towered over the fervent princess.

“Hey… boss… look!” one of Berri’s gang members said pointing at a tiny person in a large

sunhat who was walking closer to Cereza…

“EEK!... ahem!” Cereza shrieked as she tried in vain to hide the monster behind her, “It’s…

none of your business Berri!” She said through clenched teeth.

“Bwahaha! That’s it! A wee little pipsqueak in a sunhat is what has the crown princess of

the walnut nobility up in arms, what a joke.” Berri cackled as he shoved Cereza out of the

way to get a better look at the little guy.

“ **ACK, WATCH IT!** ” Cereza screamed, stumbling off to the side.

The Masked Kid and the delinquent stared at each other for a time, with Masky trying

their best to appear like a human.

“Doesn’t look like much… just a kid in a mask… ain’t that something the princess is a

babysitter! GWAHA- **URK!** ” Berri laughed before Cereza, in a blind fury, struck him in the

nose!

The cad winced with pain feeling his face for any injuries…

Wiping some blood that had pooled around his nose, he and his gang stood above the two,

“Ah… now you really shouldn’t have done that…”

Cereza stood tall to Berri’s threats as his gang surrounded them, “Come on then, I’ve been

waiting for this for a long time, I’ll take you all on!” She screamed.

The Masked Kid was far less zealous in comparison, practically shaking in their boots,

dreading a fight without… a fight without a weapon!

“Ya, asked for this your majesty, say hello to your father when you come back to him in a

box!” Berri snarled charging forward to tackle the princess.

Noticing that Berri’s two goons were beginning to close in, Masky decided to pick their

battles as they turned tail and ran!

Sprinting away, while trying their best to keep the sunhat on, the monster fled into one of

the many dingy alleyways that surrounded the street.

Fleeing behind yet another corner, Masky tried in vain to catch their breath…

“There you are!” Before one of the goons caught sight of them!

Circling back around to where the Inn was Masky reunited with Cereza…

She was defending against Berri as he relentlessly bombarded her with punches!

Falling to the ground from a sucker punch, Cereza rolled back up and, grasping a nearby

chair she threw her entire weight behind smashing the wooden chair over the crooks

head!

Berri franticly moved around trying to hit the nimble princess as he was getting more and

more tired.

“Hey kid, say goodnight!” Masky had been so focused on Cereza’s fight that they had

briefly forgotten about their problems, as Berri’s goons surrounded them.

Closing their eyes and bracing for any physical contact the masked kid prepared for the

worst…

“Now... you fellas go ahead and step away from the kid… and get off of my property, while

you’re at it.” a mysterious voice echoed, “or we might have a problem, capisce?”

Masky looked up to see who, or what’s voice echoed throughout the neighborhood, only to

see… a familiar face?!?

Walking out from the second-story balcony of the Sprout Town Inn was none other than,

the Hero!?

The dazed Masked Kid froze for a bit until remembering they were still fighting for their

life and once again started to clear out of harm’s way.

“Oh, Boss, that other kid showed up!” one of the goons tattled to their still brawling boss…

Both Berri and the Princess were out of breath, and looking for an easy

way out, the bully piped up, “HA! the Cashew kid, really princess, I didn’t expect you to

choose him as your knight in shining armor!” he cackled as Cereza rolled her eyes.

Vaulting down from the balcony, the Hero, Cashew, unsheathed a rusty sword from his

scabbard.

“I meant what I said, brute!” The Hero said leaning into a stance.

“‘Shew… I can handle this one alone.” Cereza scoffed as they united to face

Berri together.

“Really? Your torn attire and dull stance say otherwise.” Cashew chuckled.

_'My clothes…'_ She thought, her father was gonna kill her if he found out she had fought

Berri again!

Cereza’s was suddenly snapped back out of her mind as a scream echoed out across the

entire area.

She didn’t recognize the voice … didn’t even sound human… “Crap!” She said aloud,

sluggishly recalling her entire reason for being here.

“Your little gremlin is a lot tougher than I thought, I’ll give you that Cereza!” A goon

cackled as Masky struggled to break their grip.

“You let them go, right now… or else!” Cereza warned the gang.

“Or else what… you’ll call your father, come crying home for help, BWAHAHA!” Berri

chortled.

Cereza clenched her fist cursing under her breath, with Cashew moving forward in a

stance to face them.

“ _No…_ ‘Shew, they might…” Cereza plead to Cashew to back down, with the latter giving the

Princess an astonished glare.

“That’s just what I thought, now I was thinkin’ boys, why don’t we take this little twerp back to my place,

maybe… charge a royal ransom…” Berri coyly snickered.

“Just wonder what we can buy with one million coins!” one of his entourage added.

“Hey, fellas… what is this?” another bully said… the gang continued to close in on the

struggling Masked Kid.

They all moved in close as Cereza and Cashew stood glaring daggers at them…

“WH- WHAT IS THAT THING!” Berri shouted as they all started to panic.

“I-I-IT’S A MONSTER **RUN!** ” Another bully added.

It wasn’t long until Berri and his minions routed and scattered, stumbling over each other

to get away from the “monster” leaving a slightly confused Masky, still donning their

cracked mask, sitting in the middle of an empty plaza, with the sun hat and poncho off to

the side…

_“…”_ Cashew carefully moved closer to the monster as Cereza ran their fingers through

her scalp, she could already feel the headache coming on.

This Hero… or as he was called by Cereza “Cashew” looked a little different from their

worlds Hero.

Still, a scarf, that one was a given, but that’s where the similarities end…

Wearing an engineer’s garb, various tools on his belt, and a welding mask on top of his head,

it was all too obvious of what he made of himself.

But the large scar across his face was one thing that put the Masked Kid off, did their

Hero have this scar too, it was too big to just not even notice…

Silently the boy approached the Masked Kid, still in a stance, and both just stared at each

other until…

“Alright ‘Shew… I know, tons of questions, but can it wait, and your probably gonna want to

sit down for this one…” Cereza said pointing towards the Inn.

The somewhat baffled Cashew slowly sheathed his sword, “A- alright then… come along,”

He stammered gesturing to the monster, unsure whether they understood him…

Running ahead as the Masked Kid tailed the two, Cashew interrogated the princess,

“What on earth… have you gotten yourself into now, Cere’?” The Hero whispered.

Cereza sighed as they made their way closer to the Inn, _“Not a clue...”_

Looking back at the little monster, still wearing a battered mask and rugged clothing,

Cashew sighed, “At least I hope you know what you’re doing…”

Approaching the entrance to the Sprout Town Inn the trio were taken aback as the door

swung open, practically flying off the hinges!

Out came a very distressed man franticly galivanting towards the trio with a weapon of

sorts.

“Cash, where those Berri Boys at, they’ve been causin’ trouble for far too long!” he said

pumping the weapon in his hand.

Cashew’s eyes widened as he began panicking, “UNCLE!! What are you doing out here, we

took care of it calm down, remember your blood pressure!” The boy tried to explain before

the man’s gaze slowly trailed down the trio.

The man’s frightened expression quickly turned into one of pure terror, “AGH, WHAT IN

WALNUT’S NAME IS THAT!”

The man turned his weapon on the Masked Kid behind the two humans!

“Mr. Hiro…” Irked the princess.

“Get out of the way your highness i-“Mr. Hiro stammered trying to shoo away the princess.

“ **MR. HIRO!** ” Cereza roared, grabbing the barrel of the man’s weapon.

“I’ve got it all under control… royal Walnut business, got that?” Cereza explained growing

increasingly irritated by the constant interruptions.

Seeming to straighten up a bit the shaken man put lowered the gun, looking directly at the

monster’s eyes.

Masky stared back with a bit of curiosity as their fear subsided.

“And this conversation never happened…” Cereza said as the trio shoved their way pasted

Cashew’s incessant uncle.

“Uh- alright…” The old man said scratching his head…

Running alongside behind her, Cereza led the two into the Inn.

Thankfully, no one else was around inside to interrupt them, just several empty barstools

and baren inn rooms, along with the lines of cables and wire that lead upstairs.

Rushing them upstairs into Cashew’s room, an alleviated Cereza slammed the door and

slumped to the ground.

Masky stumbled over the mass of wiring that coated the floors of Cashew’s workshop, or

was it a bedroom?

They looked around the moderately sized room as the technology rumbled and roared to

life…

Getting up from the ground The Masked Kid and The Engineer both looked over the

fatigued princess.

“You’re alright, Cere’?” Cashew asked, crouching down to his friend, “That looked like a

pretty nasty fight…”

Her vision was fogged, looking around the room with the two hunched down next to her,

after finally gathering up enough strength to speak, she shambled upwards.

“I-I’m fine…” She stammered with sluggish breaths between every word, “just a

bit tired, you just worry about the kid…”

“Cere’ you should get some rest… come here,” Cashew said, helping the princess to her

feet, leading her to a nearby couch.

Collapsing on the sofa it wasn’t long before Cereza fell unconscious.

“So… what are you exactly…” Cashew asked, walking back to the Masked Kid…

Masky titled their head a bit, then shrugged their shoulders.

The monster then recalled the entire point of finding Cashew…

Grabbing the satchel from their belt, they shoved it into the engineer’s hands.

“Ah! Okay, okay, calm down let me take a look kid…” Cashew scrambled as they opened the

curtained off area of the room where most of the cords ran too, revealing Cashew’s

workstation…

His workstation was that of a true engineer, Masky assumed, as they glanced from a

distance noticing various electrical devices, hilts, and metalworks!

Laying her out onto the table, Cashew stroked their chin as they picked around the

remnants.

‘ _All this headache, just for a little sword… one of the most advanced ones I’ve ever seen,_

 _but still…_ ’ Cashew peaked back towards the small monster now sitting on the couch next to

the unconscious princess.

‘ _Cereza sure knows how to pick the interesting ones I suppose…_ ’ The engineer thought

flipping down his welding mask as he got to work.

Masky decided it was best to leave Elizabeth to the professionals, this was a friend of

Cereza so he had to be good, right?

Masky shuddered… they had almost forgotten that this wasn’t the Cereza they had

brought down Stitches with… and this… certainly wasn’t the Hero, the one who now worked

with Mr. Bachi…

The Masked Kid pondered, staring at Cashew as they pulled out an assortment of bits and

bobs from nearby containers and lit up a welder…

They wondered how things got this way… was this to be the fate of the humans if…

Puzzleman… didn’t intervene…

Just thinking that name made chills run down Masky’s spine, even if he was long gone…

Taking off the poncho and putting it off to the side, Masky’s mind continued to wander…

_Did their world’s Hero have a family…?_

_What of… their home in this world… Stitched Castle…?_

_What of Mr. Stitches…?_

Getting increasingly melancholic thoughts Masky decided to get some rest too, as it

had been far too long since they had last gotten some proper sleep, The Masked Kid laid

further back on the couch and slowly dozed off next to the princess with Cashew’s work

being the only backdrop to their descent into unconsciousness.

As their eyelids got increasingly heavy, they only thought of Elizabeth… the one being in

this world… that truly knew… until finally, consciousness had left them…

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

Fuzzy… _everything is Fuzzy…_

Darkness… Dread…

The walls, so close.

Breathe, getting heavy… it’s hard to breathe…

Run… Running, Getting away… Got to get… away.

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

Legs can barely walk… gravity, seems so strong…

_Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick Tock,_

Faster, yet faster… look behind for a single second…

“Ooph!”

It is Here…

_**TickTockTickTockTickTock…** _

Chimes… Midnight rolls, forever closer…

His face… the one you know so well…

“s-stitches…”

But he is not the one that will set you free.

You must understand, you are in danger…

**BONG BONG BONG BONG**

“AH!”

Contort, Twist and Writhe…

The Faces of your loved ones…

Trust no one…

**BONG BONG BONG BONG**

AN ECHO! _AN ECHO!_ A N E C H O! **AN ECHO!**

“A- AHH, AGH! s-stop!”

“AHHHH, AHHH!” Masky yelled until their voice was hoarse, launching up out of their

slumber, while tears fell from their mask!

“ **HEY KID!** Calm down! We’re here don’t worry… your safe, don’t worry.” Cereza said holding

the small monster in her arms as they continued to sob.

“‘Shew, make yourself useful!” The Princess demanded.

“Wha- me?” Cashew stuttered looking around the cluttered, otherwise empty room.

“Yes, you dolt, get this kid some water or something!” Cereza continued while caressing and

comforting the shaken Masked Kid.

Cashew quickly rushed out of the room, and returned later with a cold bottle…

Letting the kid drink and calm down for a while with Cere’, Cashew decided to get back to

work on the sword, the sword, he thought, could calm the kid down from their breakdown.

Hours pass as Cashew continues to work throughout the day, to the point that Sprout

Town began to be shrouded in darkness.

Looking back into his room Cere’ and the kid were already sound asleep, but it didn’t stop

Cashew as they continued to work away on the device complex as it was.

Slowly stirring awake the princess threw herself up off the couch.

Looking at the poor kid, with their mask still in tatters, she wondered if that could be

fixed too.

Wobbling to her feet she stumbled over to Cashews workshop, noticing that he was still

hard at work.

“’Shew? It’s getting light outside… have you been at that all night?” Cereza asked the

engineer who seemingly ignored her inquiry.

Looking closer at the sword device, Cereza had to admit that ‘Shew’s ability in engineering

was second to none, seemingly replicating the frame of the sword to reforge a perfectly

symmetrical hilt.

Even if cracks and welding splotches still covered the thing… and a few of the pink

markings on the “face” were missing, at least it would work!

“Uhh… The Walnut Kingdom to Cashew… Hello???” Cereza continued to question Cashew as

he paid her no mind.

“Alright, I get that you’re irritated… I’ll just get some coffee from Mr. Hiro…” The

princess sighed.

Finally, right as Cereza turned to leave, the engineer threw up his welding mask!

“ _Ah-ha!_ I’ve just about done it!” He said picking up the hilt and observing his handiwork…

“Bring the kid in… he’s not gonna want to miss this!” Cashew continued, plugging the hilt

into several nearby wires.

Quickly rushing to get the Masked Kid, who was just waking up from an extended nap after

the nightmare they had, Cereza lead them into the workshop.

Masky’s drowsiness cleared up quickly as they saw Elizabeth looking almost like her

old self again!

“Alright Cere’, Mask… uh… Masky…” Cashew said staring at the kid who gave them a

reassuring smile in return.

“Hold on one second…” He said, digging through one of the many toolboxes that were

scattered around the workshop.

Pulling out two matching pairs of goggles, Cashew handed one to each of them, “Uh… you

know, just in case.” He shrugged.

Cereza looked at the boy with suspicion before begrudgingly putting the snug eyewear

around her head.

Looking down at the Masked Kid, however…

It seemed to barely fit around the mask let alone protect their eyes.

“Eh… good enough…” Cashew sighed, before firmly grasping the control lever.

“Powering up in 3… 2… 1…, please don’t explode.” He said under his breath as he threw the

switch downwards.

“Please don’t- WHAT!” Cereza rebuked before the entire room was filled with a bright

light.

The magical hilt in front of the trio started to spark and sizzle to life, and with a huge

burst of energy, it started to rise into the air!

Masky, barely able to see what was happening, started to notice that Elizabeth was…

cycling through her past abilities, hammer, slingshot, and the blade…

The aura surrounding the hilt was powerful, and it echoed throughout the entire room as

everything started to shake.

Masky looked towards Ellie as the energy dissipated… seeing into her eyes for the first

time in forever… they were finally open.

Another crackle rang out from the hilt, her eyes suddenly turning pure white as

shockwaves shook the very foundation.

Suddenly harsh cracking sounds began booming out from the sword!

“Agh! I need to turn it off!” Cashew yelled as they fell to the ground.

The three slowly tried to move closer to the sword, all the while quakes shook the entire

room around them.

The cables plugged into the hilt abruptly shot out of Elizabeth, causing a huge shockwave

explosion that knocked the trio back into a wall!

“Urgh… Yep, that’s a headache…” Cereza cried out rubbing the back of their head, trying

to get herself up.

Picking themselves up, Masky tried to nurse their injured head, before quickly

remembering Elizabeth!

The three gathered around the now grounded sword.

Trying to quickly pick their friend up, Masky’s hand gets burnt with Ellie’s grip being

hot to the touch.

“Careful now…” Cashew advised as they continued to look down at the newly “forged” hilt.

“Shew’.” The Princess sneered, eyeing her friend, “What was that?”

“When I said, repair a sword, I didn’t mean blow up downtown!” She scolded the engineer.

As the two continued to argue, Masky looked on to their friend… seeing as their remaining

eye began to sluggishly open.

“ **KRZT** _…k-kid…_ ” Ellie said as they returned to consciousness.

Masky was overjoyed, more than overjoyed even!

Ignoring the scalding heat emanating from her, they swiped her up and began to hug her,

crying and laughing all the while.

Cashew and Cereza stopped their bickering when they saw the Masked Kid twirling around,

laughing, crying, with the sword was… doing the same?!

“The sword can talk!?” Both the humans said simultaneously.

Masky turned to the two with a large smile beaming across their face with tears of joy

rolling down their mask.

The sword turned to look at the two humans with her singular pink eye…

“Yeah, I can talk, Elizabeth the Fourth, _Magical Sword of the Hero_ at your service!”

Elizabeth the Fourth explained as the masked kid held their grip.

The hilts face slightly shifted into that of confusion as she recognized who she was

talking to.

“Cereza! I thought you of all people wouldn’t forget about me!” Elizabeth said.

“I would certainly remember seeing a magical talking hilt.” The Princess responded before

being cut off by Cashew…

“Just… let the kid have their reunion…”

The humans both looked on as the Masked Kid held the sword close and continued to laugh

and to show not a care in the world, it was the first time that Cereza had seen them this

elated!

‘ _Yeah, I guess questions can wait…_ ’ She thought sitting back down on the nearby couch.

“So… I heard you said something about Mr. Hiro’s coffee!” Cashew teased, sitting down

next to Cereza.

“So, you did hear me!” Cereza exclaimed slugging the engineer on the arm!

“So… Elizabeth the Fourth… you’re saying that we’ve met, but… not?” Cereza questioned

the hilt as they all three sat in a circle talking and sipping fresh coffee…

“Me and the k- _Masky_ , aren’t entirely sure how we ended up here, but from how I

understand things everything seems, even ever so slightly, different to our world.” Ellie

continued telling an abridged version of her adventures with Masky while wrapped in a

blanket.

She deliberately deciding not to mention anything about cloning… or the Puzzle Zone, they

didn’t need to know that pain, at least not yet.

“I can’t believe… I was a hero in your world… Like the legends of Van Gregory!” Cashew

added as he sipped his coffee.

“Really ‘Shew, that old story from when we were kids, you know the whole thing about him

is just a fairy tale, something made up by the Estate…” Cereza added as Elizabeth looked

to Masky with a smug face, with the Masked Kid continuously downing their coffee.

“Man Kid, you gotta let off the caffeine, this is like your 3rd cup!” Elizabeth quipped.

“But this boss of yours… Mr. Stitches, you say he was a mad king who ruled over all evil,

planning to take over a _“Chestnut Kingdom”_ , whom the Cereza from your world is the

princess of, why on Walnut would you ever want to go back?” Cereza pushed the two into

further questions…

The two stared at each other and sighed, “Let’s just say… we didn’t exactly leave on the

best of terms…” Ellie answered.

Cereza sighed as she looked down at her cup of coffee… “I know that feeling, with my

father I mean… but despite what we might feel towards each other, I couldn’t imagine

being that far away from him let alone in another reality where he doesn’t know I exist…”

Rising to his feet and walking to the nearby window Cashew began to ramble, “I remember

the storybooks my mother used to read to us… Baron Greg was said to have destroyed a

 _king who ruled over all evil_.”

“Cashew… I don’t think a story made up and filled with folklore and tall tales to sell books

about some long-dead baron could help us right now.” Cereza responded…

“Who knows,” He said turning towards the three, “But Mr. Hiro always said there’s always

a kernel of truth in every lie.”

“But an entire army full of monsters…” The engineer continued moving back to the couch,

“Now I’m not the best with my history but monsters aren’t a common sight these

days it’s a miracle that you’re even in Sprout Town in the first place…” Cashew added,

pointing to the Masked Kid.

“But ‘Shew!” Cereza jumped in the slightly taller Cashew’s face, “We gotta help this poor

kid, at least until they’re back to their kind…”

Taking another somber sip from the long cold coffee and recoiling with disgust, Cashew sat

back down on the couch, “But we’re completely in the dark… even if we do ask around at any 

monster refuge for a Mr. Stitches, we’d only be attracting attention from…” He explained

gesturing towards the princess.

“ _My father…_ ” She answered.

“Your father? The King? I would hardly think he’d give us any trouble, seemed like a nice

guy in our world…” Ellie added.

Cereza let out a deep sigh, downing the rest of her coffee in one gulp, “My father is…

historically hard to persuade, and with him being very protective of yours truly he’d never

let me help you if he knew…”

“He doesn’t even think monsters exist, all a children’s fairy tale, he’d say, why are you

wasting your precious time with far-flung dreams of valor and prowess, governance is of

the utmost importance for your future Cereza!” She continued curling her legs up to her

chin.

“Always on about where I am, what I do, and who I’m with… he always had a thing for

clocks, it let him know the time so he could control each waking moment of his life… and

mine.” Cereza pouted…

Ellie and the others stared on with melancholy...

Cashew sighed as went to grab various sheets of paper out of a nearby box.

“Listen… Princess… I-” Elizabeth broke the defining silence that had enveloped the room…

“I’m sure… things… will…” She continued with her voice becoming heavy and garbled.

“Oh no,” Cashew said, sprinting to grab the hilt.

**ZRRT**

“AGH!” The engineer screamed as Elizabeth let out a painful shock!

“W-what was that!” Ellie panicked as sparks shot out of her chassis.

Masky rushed to Cashew’s side, looking increasingly worried for the condition of their

friend.

“Dang… looks like you’re draining power…” Cashew answered, picking up the hilt and

unscrewing a back panel.

“ **HEY NOW! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?** ” Ellie shrieked.

“Give me a break, I rebuilt you, routine maintenance is something you need!” Cashew

rebutted walking into his workshop.

“Well, you did a terrible job, Scarf Boy! Just look at my eye!” Ellie snapped back.

“Scarf Boy? That’s a stupid nickname! Plus, I needed your faceplate parts to restore…”

The two bickered endlessly with Masky and Cereza slowly backing out of the Workshop…

Getting another helping of Mr. Hiro’s coffee while Cashew was struggling the Princess and

Masked Kid continued to reminisce.

“So, is Mr. Stitches like a father to you?” Cereza asked.

Masked Kid looked around with indifference and slightly shrugged.

“Kinda… eh I get it.” She said sipping more Coffee.

Cashew crashed into the room, charred from the maintenance with Ellie, with the scorned

hilt herself seeming healthy and fine, but looking away in contempt.

“There.” He begrudgingly said hurling Ellie at Masky before slumping over on the couch.

Masky stumbled around trying and catch their friend while still holding a brimming cup of

coffee.

“ _Hmph…_ ” Elizabeth apathetically spouted, still looking away from the engineer.

“So… what’s the diagnostic doctor ‘Shew…” Cereza jested, looking down at the worn-out

Cashew.

“Ugh… alright.” He replied rising to sit properly on the couch.

“We have multiple failing power conductors… reflection crystals cracked… and…” Cashew

explained as all three blinked at him befuddled.

“Ok. Long story short, she’s probably _dying_.” Cashew bluntly said.

“ **WHAT!** ” Cereza and Ellie shouted as Masky continued to lose their nerves.

“Probably! Probably, but… I have a plan for this… hold on…” The engineer continued pulling

out a large green map.

Placing it on a nearby table, Cashew stroked his chin while searching the paper.

“Now all the parts we need would be regularly accessible from any Walnut Kingdom armory,

but I have a feeling we aren’t welcome to go and steal army equipment.” Cashew explained.

“’Shew… my father would kill me…” Cereza answered with obvious concern.

“ _Ah-ha!_ So that’s where my plan comes in… if we can’t take any parts from an operational

armory, we could just take parts from a scuttled armory!” Cashew exclaimed.

“This,” Cashew pointed at a grayed-out area of the map, “Is the _Graylands_ , the sight of an

old battleground… full of old equipment, and the best part, no patrols ever go around

there, for… some reason.”

“How do you know so much about these _Graylands_ Scarfboy?” Ellie questioned.

“ _Ha!_ It’s not like I’ve been planning to sell off parts from destroyed equipment or anything

like that…” Cashew snickered with a blush, making Ellie glare at him with contentment.

“’Shew, the _Graylands_ are dangerous… I can’t-” Cereza responded.

“Aww, come on Cere’ where’s your sense of adventure, your Princess Cereza, this is your

future domain, even if it wasn’t to help this kid, I know you would have wandered around

there sooner or later!” Cashew responded stroking her ego…

Cereza looked at him and sighed, “Alright…”

“Dangerous, _PAH!_ Nothing me and the kid can’t handle!” Elizabeth zealously replied.

“Um… I would actively avoid that,” Cashew answered, “You just don’t have the structural

integrity to withstand an activation sequence!”

Elizabeth and Masky sighed, “And I assume you’re not coming with us Scarf Boy…” She

asked.

“Oh no, _no no no!_ Mr. Hiro would never allow me to get hurt on the job, and besides, I’m far

too busy!” Cashew coyly said flipping down their welding mask.

“You’re such a jerk ‘Shew!” Cereza laughed, slugging the boy in the arm.

“But I wouldn’t leave you defenseless,” Cashew said dipping into their workshop, “Here is

your new Saber Sword, please don’t break this one, I’m running out of metal…”

Grabbing the sword and scabbard she inspected the masterfully crafted blade before

sheathing it at her side.

Getting the backpack that Cereza had left in the corner of the room, Cashew threw it to

her and sarcastically said, “And get some materials for me, those things sell for a mint!”

Rolling up the map and handing it to Cereza, Cashew stepped away to return to his

workshop before stepping back out, “Cereza, ahem, stay safe…” he said before

disappearing back into the workshop.

“I suppose it’s time to go…” Ellie somberly said looking down to the floor as Masky stood

around the exit of the Inn.

Putting the backpack on, Cereza readied herself at the door, “The _Graylands_ , huh… my

fathers gonna kill me…” She chuckled to herself before stepping outside.

“Well, kid… no matter what happens… I’m with you, always… let’s go.” Elizabeth said.

Masky nodded as they followed Cereza’s lead back into Sprout Town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAA long chapters are difficult to edit for my tiny brain, Im also very apology for the like 5 month wait period on something that was "Very Nearly Done." Starting to sound like a game dev ;) i won't make any vast promises this time, but know the next 4-5 chapters have the plot already planned out and should be rolling out "soon" (Please don't ask about Her Grace idk ill get around to it lol)
> 
> anyway you have a good one, ill try to not make the next chapter's wait so long if i can help it!
> 
> Have a good music YEEHAW :) https://youtu.be/cU9YQZklU6I

**Author's Note:**

> AND that is that! Thank you for getting though this long chapter... a bit too long if you ask me! Chapter 2 is in full production as of writing this and should enter the editing phase, sooner rather than later... so keep a look out for that :)
> 
> Also to keep you hooked on the underhero stuff, can also announce that chapter 3 and 4 of this very fic has also existed Preproduction, and will begin their full production as soon as the previous chapters have wrapped up!
> 
> Stay Tuned for other Underhero stuff on my tumblr :) https://antasmunchi.tumblr.com/


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